Posts Tagged ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’

Okay Star Trek: The Next Generation Fans, this one is for you. Without much in the way of introduction, let’s just say that not very many men can make something as ordinary as sitting down this artful and, yes, this manly.

So, thank you Commander Riker. We could all learn something from you. You are, indeed, a boss.

Here at Comic-Con in San Diego La La Land Records just released a brand new limited edition 3-disc set featuring music from Star Trek: The Next Generation. The set looks fantastic, and I for one can’t wait to sit down with it after the show.

But now the masterminds at La La are already thinking about their next Trek TV release.

“We plan on definitely doing at least one more volume of this, we have left overs from this. And Deep Space Nine will probably come next,” says MV Gerhard of La La Land Records.

“Of all the shows, I think that was probably the best of the series, of the new stuff, and also very neglected in previous release”

So provided the sales for the first Star Trek set are good, and so far they are looking that way, we should be looking at a Deep Space Nine set next. This is particularly exciting news for fans of the series who have long clamored for a release of the stellar music composed for Deep Space Nine.

The Trek TV fun might not even stop there, with all of the Trek shows on La La Land’s radar we could be seeing sets like these coming out for a while, and it wont be just Trekkies that benefit from that.

Remember back when The Next Generation was a big deal, and everyone wished that those touch pads the medics like Beverly Crusher and engineers like Geordi had would be real? Well we basically live in that future, and to add an extra layer of this geeky meta sandwich, the official Star Trek app is showing us how.

Out from CBS Interactive, the app is called the Star Trek PADD (Personal Access Display Device), the same name those cool futuristic devices were called in the show. Here’s a breakdown on why this app is so cool for fans of the Trek anywhere:

Developed in conjunction with CBS Mobile by app development studio ArcTouch, the STAR TREK PADD app transports fans back through the extensive 40-year history of the STAR TREK television franchise, including its amazing universe of characters, planets and technology spanning from STAR TREK: THE ORIGINAL SERIES all the way to STAR TREK: ENTERPRISE. The app also includes a recognizable computer voice as well as familiar STAR TREK-related sounds.

The upcoming War of the Worlds game from Other Ocean Interactive and Paramount Digital just got even more interesting. Sure, it seems like a fun game where you run around and participate in the events taking place during a 1950’s invasion of London by aliens bent on destruction.

But now the game will feature the voice of non-other than Patrick Stewart. That’s sure to elevate things considerably. Here’s all the details from the official press release:

Known to millions for his role as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in the popular TV show Star Trek: The Next Generation, as well as his performance as Professor Charles Xavier in the X-Men film franchise, Stewart has enjoyed tremendous success over his decades-long film career including several Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. However, providing narration for The War of the Worlds is an experience that hearkens back to Stewart’s childhood.

“As a young boy, I remember watching the The War of the Worlds so many times I was quoting the lines,” said Stewart. “The alien invasion both terrified and fascinated me and the movie has stuck with me since then. Now, being part of this project will provide a new way for gamers around the world to experience a fresh new take on a classic.”

The War of the Worlds is a dark and breathtaking new vision inspired by the classic H.G. Wells novel, retold as a single player, 2D action-adventure. The gameplay narrative parallels the timeline and events from the 1953 movie adaptation, but introduces a new story arc, characters, locations, and sub-plots.

In a move some could consider a direct answer to Amazon’s announcement this week that Prime members can watch streaming content and its included with their membership, Netflix announced a new deal with CBS to bring shows from the network’s library to the service’s roster of streaming content.

Of course, Netflix and CBS did’t announce the terms of their deal but only said it will bring CBS content to Netflix’s “Watch Instantly” service for the next two years. CBS also has an option to extend the deal for another two years. Some of the content available because of this deal includes episodes of recent shows such as Medium and Flashpoint, as well as full seasons of older shows like Star Trek, Twin Peaks, Frasier, Cheers and The Twilight Zone.

“We are thrilled to be bringing CBS shows to Netflix and are looking forward to growing our relationship over time,” Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement. ”Netflix is now the only online premium subscription service with shows featured on all four broadcast networks and dozens of cable TV’s biggest brands.”

To be honest, I just assumed this was something that had already happened. For someone who created such an enduring TV and film legacy and such a phenomenon, I thought Gene Roddenberry was already in the TV Academy Hall of Fame. Apparently, I was wrong because at a special ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel next year, the “Great Bird of the Galaxy” himself will join the ranks of Academy Hall of Fame inductees.

Other inductees to be honored at the ceremony include Candice Bergen, production and art director Charles Lisanby, announcer Don Pardo, Tom and Dick Smothers and game show producer Bob Stewart. Seriously, and I apologize in advance for the rant I’m about to go on, the guy who created Star Trek and Don Pardo are getting the Hall of Fame treatment at the same time? Come on TV Academy, what the heck are you thinking?

I don’t think I’m alone here, and this is nothing personal against Mr. Pardo who’s great at what he does, but Star Trek is one of the most popular, longest lasting and incredibly innovative pop culture icons ever created in the history of TV and the guy who announces Saturday Night Live and some production designer get into the Academy Hall of Fame at the same time as he does? I just don’t get it. I guess all I can say at this point is about frakkin’ time.

It looks like the “gracious and classy actor award” is going to Patrick Stewart and not William Shatner — at least according to a post over at IMDB. After Shatner’s much publicized disappointment with being left out of J.J. Abrams highly successful Star Trek reboot, Stewart’s delight with the film was a welcome display of his class and style. Then again, that’s why we love Patrick Stewart and sometimes want to kick Shatner’s Denny Crane in his legal briefs, right?

Star Trek: The Next Generation star Stewart says he “loved” the much anticipated Star Trek movie, but says “It was a very odd experience to be in the cinema watching a Star Trek movie that I wasn’t in. With the exception of Leonard Nimoy, I didn’t know any of the cast but it’s still Star Trek. I got a great kick out of it.”

He even had kind words for newcomer Chris Pine, who plays a young Captain Kirk, calling him “brilliant, charming, funny and utterly delightful.” Such a British gentleman, that Jean-Luc. The J.J. Abrams film is a reboot of the Start Trek films and of course, the iconic 1960’s television series. With spinoffs like Stewart’s Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and four Next Gen films, the Star Trek franchise has fans of all ages, from my father to my six-year-old nephew, and most of the geeks in between.